Quick Answer: Favorites keep the channels you watch most in a separate, quickly reachable list. Open your channel list, highlight a channel, and use the channel actions to add it to Favorites. Favorites are personal, so they stay the same regardless of how the provider groups its channels, and they survive normal playlist refreshes.
What Favorites Are For#
Favorites are a personal shortlist that sits apart from the provider's channel structure. TiviMate supports favorite channels as part of its playlists and navigation, and the official TiviMate Google Play listing confirms Favorites alongside search, multiple playlists, EPG, catch-up, recording, and multiview.
How to Add a Channel to Favorites#
- Open your playlist and channel list.
- Highlight the channel you watch most often.
- Open the channel actions menu with your remote.
- Choose the option to add the channel to Favorites.
The exact gesture to open channel actions varies by device and remote, so use whichever method your on-screen interface offers. See remote control for navigation basics.
Organizing Your Favorites#
A short Favorites list is easy to use; a very long one defeats the purpose. Keep it to the channels you genuinely watch, and revisit it occasionally to remove ones you no longer use. If you want broader categories such as "all sports", that is a job for channel groups rather than Favorites.
Removing Channels from Favorites#
Open the channel again, use the channel actions, and toggle the favorite state off. The channel stays in the playlist; it simply leaves your shortlist. If you removed one by mistake, re-add it the same way you added it.
Favorites Not Saving or Missing#
- Playlist refresh reset them. Re-adding a playlist from scratch can clear personal data; keep a backup.
- Channel removed by the provider. A favorite pointing at a removed channel disappears with it.
- Wrong profile or device. Favorites are per setup, so a different device starts its own list.
- App data cleared. Clearing data, as opposed to cache, resets Favorites. See clear cache.
Favorites vs Groups vs Search#
| Tool | Best for |
|---|---|
| Favorites | Channels you watch regularly |
| Groups | Browsing broad categories |
| Search | Finding something once |
Used together, these three cover daily viewing, exploration, and one-off lookups without heavy remote typing.
Frequently Asked Questions#
Do Favorites sync between devices?#
Favorites are part of your local setup. Transferring them means restoring a config backup to the other device.
How many favorites should I keep?#
As many as you actually watch. Once a list gets long enough that you scroll it, a group or the search tool serves better.
Why did my favorites disappear after an update?#
An update that reset app storage or a playlist re-add can clear them. Restore a backup to bring them back.
Building a Useful Favorites List#
The best Favorites list is short and current. Start by adding the few channels you watch every day, then expand only where you notice yourself searching for the same channel twice. A list of ten to twenty channels stays fast; a list of two hundred is just another ungrouped playlist and offers little benefit over browsing groups.
Favorites Across Multiple Playlists#
If you use more than one playlist, favorites can span them, which makes a single shortlist for your most-watched channels across sources. When a playlist refreshes, favorites normally persist because they reference channels rather than the playlist structure. A full re-add, a data clear, or a provider removing a channel is what tends to break them, so keep a backup and re-add carefully.
Favorites and the Rest of TiviMate#
- Pair Favorites with groups for browsing.
- Use search for one-off lookups instead of expanding Favorites.
- Remember Favorites are per setup, so a new device builds its own list.
Quick Maintenance Routine#
- Add a channel the moment you realize you watch it often.
- Prune favorites you have stopped using.
- Re-check the list after a playlist change.
A minute of upkeep keeps the list useful instead of letting it drift into clutter.
How Many Is Too Many?#
If scrolling your Favorites feels like scrolling a playlist, the list has grown past its purpose. A shortlist works because it is short. Aim for the channels you reach for daily, and let groups and search cover everything else. There is no penalty for pruning; a channel you remove can be added back the moment you miss it.
Keeping Favorites Alive Across Changes#
- Back up before making large playlist changes.
- Re-add playlists carefully rather than resetting everything.
- Re-check Favorites after a provider changes its lineup.
Day-to-Day Use#
- Open Favorites first when you sit down to watch.
- Use groups only when Favorites does not cover it.
- Search for one-off channels.
- Add anything you look up twice.
That habit keeps a large lineup feeling small, which is the whole point of Favorites.
Favorites in the Channel List and Guide#
TiviMate keeps Favorites separate from the provider's own groups, so you can switch to a favorites view instead of scrolling the full lineup. If the list looks empty, confirm that at least one channel is still marked as a favorite and that you are looking at the correct playlist. Favoriting a channel marks it for your shortlist; it does not rename, move, or reorder the provider's channels, and it does not change what other devices or viewers see. Treat the Favorites view as your daily starting point and the provider's groups as the place to browse when you want something outside the shortlist.
Related Guides#
See Channel Groups, Search, and Playlist Backup.